About halfway through May I quit my drawing project, because I got bored with it and wanted to do my own thing. I realize now that I don’t like being “told” what to draw. Instead, I started a new watercolor floral painting. I’m still working on it, but I might not post it because I’m not sure if I like the progress thus far. The plus side is that I spent quite a bit of time making a preliminary line drawing and working out the composition, SO if it comes out horrible I will still be able to start over again on a fresh piece of watercolor paper.
Here are some other random pages from my sketchbooks (with my remarks) to show you in the meantime. Yesterday, I also posted this sketch of a rhododendron blossom on Sketching in Nature.
I sketched this dried up tulip (below) and chatted with my husband as he changed the oil and the brake pads on my car.
This morning I tried to go outside to do some sketching, but the mosquitoes were too much so I had to come inside early. I don’t think I can go out again until I pick up some bug spray.
On my way inside I picked up this flower sprig and sketched it indoors. It came from a large tree covered in these purple blossoms. I have no idea what it is called though.
I hope everyone has a good day, especially if you are feeling depressed. I am planning on having a nice, neutral V-Day this year. I baked a bundt cake with a lemony glazy, and we are ordering pizza tonight.
Yesterday I was digging through my reference files to do some sketching and I pulled out a photo of some roses from 2009. I did some cropping and I made this sketch, which I am thinking of turning into a painting. However, I learned from my last painting that I should have at least two paintings in progress in varying stages of completion. Otherwise, it will be really hard for me to get my momentum back once I finish. Has anyone else noticed the same thing?
In the past few days sketching has taken a backseat as I’ve been concentrating more on filing paperwork and organizing my house. It is preferable for me to stay on top of things, especially during tax season, or else I will be too distracted to be creative. Today I am excited to get started on some new projects though.
Right now we are having winter mix and chunks of ice are pelting against my windows. Punxsutawney Phil predicted today that spring is near, but I have a hard time believing it!
Here are some roses from my sketchbooks, which were a sort of early Valentine’s Day present:
Here is the final image of my work in progress painting. It was a challenge to paint, but a lot of fun and excellent practice in watercolor. The most challenging was not having a drawing to rely on and improvising as I went along. If I had done a detailed drawing first, I know that I would have made it much too detailed and labored, trying to paint all the veins in the leaves for instance. Next time I am going to make a basic contour drawing first, to work out the composition in advance, but I’m going to leave out all the details.
I called it Seaside Dahlias because the reference photo was from my Maine trip last summer. There is a lovely garden directly outside Barnacle Billy’s seafood restaurant where I took this photo. My husband was in a rush to get into the restaurant and order his steamers, and was trying to rush me along when I was snapping away. This was one of the last ones I took so I’m glad I persisted.
Here are two more photos of my painting in progress. I’ve added more of the leaves and background. I’ve been working on this a little bit each day, trying not to rush myself. I’ve never attempted a watercolor this ambitious before, so I’m trying not to worry so much when things don’t come out perfectly. I’ve also decided that I am going to just stick with watercolor and not turn it into anything mixed media.
For some reason, the bottom photo turned out grainy. I should have checked if it came out okay before I continued painting! Tomorrow I’ll post the finished piece.
Here is the current progress on my dahlia painting. The colors are not perfect, but I did my best to adjust the photo to match the original. Although I am using a photo reference, I am painting without any underdrawing so it is not as exacting as I would normally work. I’m trying to be a little less planned with this. I’m also waffling between making the colors really bright or more muted. The flowers were more red in the photo but I’m thinking I might actually like the pink now.
Here is a early preview of a new painting I started. I’ve been feeling lately that I need to do something more colorful and fun, especially since life can become slightly depressing in the wintertime. This is really an experiment for me, and it is a little scary having no idea how it will turn out. I am planning on using colored pencils once I finish with the watercolor, because I want it to be very bold.
There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so, he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted. -Henri Matisse
While I’m thinking about Matisse, I thought I’d post some links:
I had painted another version of this same painting back in May, as seen here. I painted the first one on a blank watercolor greeting card and gave it away to someone. At the time, I was a little sad because I really liked it and wished I had kept it for myself. I had intended to repaint it at some point, but I never got around to it until now. The other day, while organizing my supplies, I found a piece of Arches watercolor paper that was already prepared for this painting, so I took the opportunity to finish it.
I was more careful when I painted this, and I took my time, unlike the first painting where I was in more of a rush. It was a bit odd to paint the same exact thing again, however. At times, I wasn’t sure if I should look at my original photo or the first painting to use as a reference. I made some changes this time around, and I am generally happy with it. The next time I am really excited about a particular piece though, I am going to try to do my best the first time rather than thinking to myself, “I’ll just redo this later.” For one, I might never get around to repainting it. Also, I don’t think it was as fun to paint a second time and I’m afraid I would lose my excitement if I tried it again.
I’m not sure what my opinion is on making studies and preliminary sketches though. They can be very helpful, but I think that I may also lose my motivation to make a good finished piece if I make too many detailed studies or drawings first. I’ll have to experiment further with this to see how it works out.
